Cameron Slater has recently been posting a series of heavily edited, out of context, and faked videos made by a militant pro-life group in the USA, which claim that Planned Parenthood is illegally selling foetuses,

Ihaka could have grown into a wonderful young man, just like my son, if his life had not been so tragically cut short at the hands of someone who should never have been allowed near him. And Ihaka is only one of 3 precious little NZ children lost or maimed JUST THIS WEEK.

I know there will be some who will stoop low enough to attack me for writing this, but I won’t let fear prevent me from speaking out anymore. I am fortunate enough to have a voice, and I need to use it, because I know that aspects of my experience with the police have also happened to many other sex workers and sexual assault survivors.

Everywhere I look, everything I read, the stories I hear – the message from those in control to their citizens on how to act within society is the same. It’s every man/woman for themselves, and we should not give a fuck about anyone but ourselves.

The issue of Bible lessons in schools was revived again on the weekend, with the case of Jeff McClintock in the Hibiscus Coast, who is seemingly powerless to choose whether or not his child attends Bible in Schools sessions at their primary school.

I’m only one of tens of thousands of Kiwi’s with chronic medical issues who have the above experience in some way on a frequent basis, many in the SDHB catchment. And our realities matter, because we are the ones who are ‘served’ by this huge and broken system.

Suicides and mental health struggles aren’t limited to the male head of the farm. Rural women and farm workers also suffer, and our stats on rural youth aren’t great either. Isolation isn’t just a feeling when you live rural, it’s also a practical everyday reality.

It’s time to break out of the ‘bludger’ box Anne Tolley, strategists and policy advisors. There hasn’t been a single independent review of our current welfare system that hasn’t raised serious concerns about the impact of these sanctions on our vulnerable.